How West Jordan Handles Home Business: A Practical Guide

West Jordan maintains 120 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with home business. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where West Jordan falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Signage Rules

West Jordan restricts a home occupation to one unanimated, nonilluminated wall sign under City Code § 13-11-2J. The sign must sit in a window or on the front exterior wall, cannot exceed two square feet, and only minimal mailbox identification is otherwise permitted, a limit the sign code repeats verbatim at § 12-3-3H.

Key details: Signs allowed: One wall sign per dwelling. Max sign area: 2 square feet. Illumination/animation: Both prohibited. Placement: Window or front exterior wall only. Extra ID allowed: Minimal mailbox identification only.

Installing an illuminated, animated, freestanding, or oversized sign for a home business violates § 13-11-2J and § 12-3-3H alike. Sign code violations default to the citywide class B misdemeanor penalty under § 1-14B-1 absent a separate fine schedule, and the City Zoning Administrator can also deny or revoke the underlying home occupation business license under § 4-2D-2 for failing to meet Chapter 11 standards.

Customer Traffic Restrictions

West Jordan caps most home occupations at six customers or clients per hour under City Code § 13-11-2K, provided off-street parking is available and the neighborhood is not adversely affected. Daycare, certified childcare, dance and exercise studios, music lessons, preschools and tutoring are carved out of the hourly cap and follow their own, higher client limits instead.

Key details: Customer cap: 6 patrons per hour, general rule. Visit/delivery hours: 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM only. Exempt uses: Daycare, tutoring, dance/exercise, music lessons. Commercial vehicle cap: 12,000 lbs, one vehicle/trailer. Promotional meetings: Once per month maximum.

Exceeding the six-customers-per-hour cap, receiving visitors outside 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M., or generating traffic the zone was not designed for violates § 13-11-2 and puts the home occupation license at risk under § 4-2D-2's requirement that the use keep meeting every Chapter 11 standard. With no separate fine set in Chapter 11, a conviction defaults to the citywide class B misdemeanor penalty in § 1-14B-1.

Zoning & Home Occupation Permits

West Jordan lets residents run a home occupation only as a secondary, subordinate use inside a dwelling, garage or one accessory structure, capped at 500 square feet and 25% of any floor. The business licensee must live on-site, may employ up to two outside workers, and needs a general business license reviewed by the Zoning Administrator against Title 13, Chapter 11 standards before it opens.

Key details: Max floor area: 25% of a floor, 500 sq ft cap. Non-resident employees allowed: Up to 2. License reviewer: City Zoning Administrator. Delivery/visit curfew: 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM barred. Promotional meetings: Limited to once per month.

Operating without the required business license, or breaking any Chapter 11 standard, violates § 4-1B-1 and Title 13, Chapter 11. Because neither chapter sets its own penalty, a conviction defaults to the citywide offense clause: a class B misdemeanor under Utah's Criminal Code, with corporations and other artificial persons facing fines up to $5,000 per class B conviction or $1,000 per class C conviction (§ 1-14B-1). The Zoning Administrator can also deny or pull the business license for noncompliance found during inspection.

Home Daycare

West Jordan lists in-home daycare among its permitted home occupations, capped at four children during operating hours under City Code § 13-11-3, with no separate business license needed unless the offsite impact exceeds an ordinary home's. A licensed or certified residential childcare facility instead follows Utah state licensing law rather than the four-child city cap.

Key details: Child cap: 4 children during operating hours. Licensed facilities: Follow state code, not the 4-child cap. Floor-area cap: Exempt from the 500 sq ft home-business limit. License needed: Only if offsite impact exceeds residential. Employee count: Set by state health department rules.

Running an in-home daycare above the four-child cap, or without the license § 4-2D-1 requires once offsite impact exceeds a residential level, violates §§ 13-11-2 and 13-11-3. Because Chapter 11 sets no separate fine, enforcement defaults to the citywide class B misdemeanor penalty in § 1-14B-1, and the City Zoning Administrator can deny or revoke the license for noncompliance found on inspection, in addition to any separate action the state licensing agency takes.

The Bottom Line

West Jordan's home business rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming West Jordan is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on West Jordan's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.